Crime Report for February 13

February 13, 2013

MARTINSBURG - A Martinsburg man was sentenced Monday to five years and 10 months in prison for a federal drug conviction.

James Edward Alston, 45, pleaded guilty Aug. 15 in Martinsburg's U.S. District Court to one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Alston was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending designation to a federal institution.

Article Photos

Wilt

Reid

Howell

Carey

Lewis

Man sentenced to more than two years

MARTINSBURG - A Kearneysville man who pleaded guilty last year to a federal drug charge was sentenced Monday to two years and nine months in prison.

Darnell Keith Carey, 34, pleaded guilty Oct. 9 in Martinsburg's U.S. District Court to one count of distribution of crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of Pikeside Transitional School. Carey was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending designation to a federal institution.

Man sentenced for dealing crack cocaine

MARTINSBURG - A Bunker Hill man who pleaded guilty last year to a federal drug charge was sentenced Monday to two years in prison.

Richard Taylor, 42, pleaded guilty Oct. 10 in Martinsburg's U.S. District Court to one count of distribution of crack cocaine. Taylor was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending designation to a federal institution.

Early Tuesday morning, members of the task force located Michael Howell, 31, of Ranson. Howell was wanted for violating his conditions of his parole stemming from a burglary conviction. Howell was located at a home off East Park Avenue in Ranson and was taken into custody without incident, authorities said.

In an unrelated case, the task force also apprehended Tina Wilt, 42, of Martinsburg. Wilt was wanted for a probation violation in Virginia stemming from a prior conviction for obtaining prescription drugs by fraudulent means. Members of the task force located Wilt in a home off Olympic Drive in Martinsburg. Wilt was charged as a fugitive from justice and is being held at the Eastern Regional Jail while awaiting extradition proceedings.

Man arrested after breaking into body shop

MARTINSBURG - A Virginia man accused of breaking into a local body shop was arrested Tuesday on charges of breaking and entering and petit larceny.

As of Tuesday, Bertrand V. Lewis Jr., 23, of Ashburn, was being held at Eastern Regional Jail on $12,500 bail.

According to court records, at about 6:49 a.m., police responded to a report of a burglary at Les's Auto Repair & Towing in Martinsburg. Employees had stopped Lewis on the property. The owner of the body shop told police the business had been broken into. Lewis was searched and police found 12 sets of car keys and $25 belonging to the shop.

The keys were taken from the owner's lock box in his office.The owner told police he believed he had towed the accused's car two days earlier and that the man had broken into his office to take his vehicle's keys.

Lewis had been arrested by the Martinsburg Police Department two days earlier and his car was towed to the shop's impound lot. One of the keys found in his possession belonged to his car. Lewis was later interviewed by police and admitted he broken into the shop's office and removed the keys and money.

Woman charged with felony false pretenses

MARTINSBURG - A Martinsburg woman was arraigned Tuesday on charges of felony false pretenses and uttering in connection with an incident involving a fraudulent check.

Amanda Ellen Craig, 23, of Celebrity Court, was later released on $40,000 bail.

According to court records, on Nov. 29, the alleged victim filed a fraud complaint with police. She said her carpenter asked her if she could deposit a check for his son's girlfriend as a favor. The victim said she was told the check was from an insurance settlement.

The victim deposited the $2,500 check and delivered the money to Craig. A day later, the victim's bank called her and told her the check she deposited was fraudulent and that she owed the bank the $2,500.

Martinsburg man arrested for assault

MARTINSBURG - A Martinsburg man was arraigned Tuesday on one count of second-degree sexual assault in connection with an alleged incident last year involving a woman who was living with him.

As of Tuesday, Paul Xavier Reid III, 50, of State Circle, was being held at Eastern Regional Jail on $80,000 bail.

According to court records, the alleged victim told police that on Sept. 9 Reid came home and began acting strange. She said he was acting like a "monkey," records show.

She then alleged Reid attempted to sexually assault her. Reid was interviewed Feb. 7, but during the interview he asked for a lawyer and all questioning was stopped.